Offshore Heavy Lift Crane tackles both ends of the contest for greener energy

MYCRANE

05.05.2022


Heavy Lift Crane (HLC) 295000 has been fitted to offshore installation vessel Orion I, which was christened at its name-giving ceremony last week.

The HLC, manufactured by Liebherr, was fitted onboard the vessel produced by marine engineering specialist DEME. It is the largest crane Liebherr has ever built, with a maximum lifting capacity of 5,000 tonnes and will be used for the offshore industry to install wind farms and decommission old energy platforms.

The naming ceremony took place in Vlissingen, The Netherlands with several hundred spectators in attendance, including DEME CEO Luc Vandenbulcke and DEME chairman Luc Bertrand. 

The naming ceremony was conducted by Mrs.Amélie Michel, spouse of Mr. Charles Michel, President of the European Council.

Also in attendance were Patricia Rüf, member of the administrative board of Liebherr-International AG and joint management of the maritime cranes company area of the Liebherr Group, as well as Leopold Berthold, managing director of Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH.

The vessel is now headed towards the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea and roughly 20 kilometres northeast from the island, the offshore wind farm Arcadis Ost I will be constructed.

The compact crane has a base column of 16.8 metres diameter, which is unique in the market. The HLC 295000 requires little space on deck and offers more storage space for transportation. With its maximum capacity of 5,000 tons and an outreach of up to 151 metres, the HLC can manage large components, particularly the decommissioning of offshore platforms.

Luc Vandenbulcke, CEO DEME Group said: “Orion heralds a new era in the offshore energy industry – one which will be dominated by multi-megawatt turbines, jackets and components. The combination of load capacity and superior lifting heights of Orion will enable DEME to play an important role in helping the industry successfully navigate the energy transition.”

The heavy lift crane will help create a reduction in offshore oil and gas installations as it supports the construction of new windfarms as well as decommissioning of old platforms, functioning at ‘both ends’ of the contest for greener energy.



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